2/3/2020
Topic:
Tools and Strategies
Susan Collins
|
In our school, we are fortunate to use the Quaver Music curriculum, which is an online curriculum. I have a student who is autistic. He has difficulty in regard to focus in the midst of the group. I sometimes have to have him sit a few feet away from the group. He also has difficulty tolerating certain noises. To allow him to participate and learn along with the rest of the class, I will use an iPad. I log on to the Quaver Music website and locate activities that support what I am teaching in class. He uses headphones to cut down on external noise and to help him focus on the concept presented in the iPad lesson. He actually does quite well with this. Many of the activities are interactive so that he participates in his own learning.
In regard to the general class, the Quaver curriculum is presented on a Smart Board. This also allows for interaction from students. Songs are presented on the screen, activities and games are interactive, and videos are presented to teach specific concepts. My SWD students love this and usually participate well. |
2/3/2020
Topic:
Tools and Strategies
Susan Collins
|
Ann McFall wrote:
The first strategy I can implement in my music classroom is task analysis. For the upper grades, I give them at least one project a year that takes about 3-4 weeks to complete. Instead of giving them all the tasks to complete at once, I can break it down week by week. For the last week students can compile all the information together and complete the project. This will help students with disabilities because they are able to focus on one thing at a time. This strategy would also work when setting up xylophones in a pentatonic scale. I will usually tell my classes to take of their "hamburgers and fries" (B and F), but when working with students with disabilities, it would work better to have them find all the B's first and then all the F's.
The other strategy I can implement in my class is peer partners. Allowing students to work with a shoulder partner for certain tasks would be beneficial to all students. Students who are able to demonstrate/teach a skill, know it well. Other students might need to see one of their peers perform the task before it "clicks." This would be helpful to students with disabilities because their one-on-one paraprofessionals are not familiar with the concept I'm teaching, whereas the students in my class have had music instruction for a number of years. This is also helpful in building community and friendship in the classroom. Some students are self-contained in the classroom, but come to music with other classes. This would help build relationships in my room so that my self contained students don't feel secluded or different. |
2/3/2020
Topic:
Tools and Strategies
Susan Collins
|
I, too, use peer partners a great deal. I find that this works well for many of my SWD students. It also allows (as you have indicated) other students to learn something well so that they can demonstrate it to others.Ann McFall wrote:
The first strategy I can implement in my music classroom is task analysis. For the upper grades, I give them at least one project a year that takes about 3-4 weeks to complete. Instead of giving them all the tasks to complete at once, I can break it down week by week. For the last week students can compile all the information together and complete the project. This will help students with disabilities because they are able to focus on one thing at a time. This strategy would also work when setting up xylophones in a pentatonic scale. I will usually tell my classes to take of their "hamburgers and fries" (B and F), but when working with students with disabilities, it would work better to have them find all the B's first and then all the F's.
The other strategy I can implement in my class is peer partners. Allowing students to work with a shoulder partner for certain tasks would be beneficial to all students. Students who are able to demonstrate/teach a skill, know it well. Other students might need to see one of their peers perform the task before it "clicks." This would be helpful to students with disabilities because their one-on-one paraprofessionals are not familiar with the concept I'm teaching, whereas the students in my class have had music instruction for a number of years. This is also helpful in building community and friendship in the classroom. Some students are self-contained in the classroom, but come to music with other classes. This would help build relationships in my room so that my self contained students don't feel secluded or different. |
2/3/2020
Topic:
Tools and Strategies
Susan Collins
|
I, too, have a Smart Board. I have found that this is an amazing tool in the Music classroom. There are so many benefits, as you have indicated. Although, it does benefit the visually impaired, I find that some of my students with physical impairments enjoy participating in the interactive aspects of our curriculum because the "pen" is a comfortable size for them to use. Robert Surroca wrote:
One way I have assisted students with visual impairments is by using technology. Since I have a smart board in my classroom, I use it for various music lessons. Various students have a hard time seeing things on paper so using the smart board helps them visualize things much larger. Some of the students with visual impairments have also received new glasses and the students are able to see better, but using my smart board during my lessons has engaged the students more. For example, there is a computer game that I use because it focuses on my goals for students to learn the names of the instruments in various musical families. The game allows me to choose a setting that allows the students to work in teams. Therefore, the students that have visual disabilities have encouragement from their own team members to get the answers correct while they also can enhance their own disability and see things much larger on a smart board. |
2/3/2020
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
Susan Collins
|
I had a student with a physical disability who was in a wheel chair. She also was unable to hold musical instruments, such as rhythm sticks, and had difficulty speaking. When we were doing interactive activities on the Smart board, I would wheel her to the board in the same way other students approached the board. She would then indicate her choice in the activity by nodding her head, and I or another student would use the pen for her to mark her choice. When doing rhythm activities, she would nod to show the rhythms. She did try to sing, although she does not talk, so she could make the sounds but not use words. I would use activities where she could match pitches. She also enjoyed listening to music. When we had quizzes on various musical periods, she would either nod or point for the correct answer. Her para would also attach certain rhythm instruments to her hands to allow her to play. |
2/3/2020
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
Susan Collins
|
I had a similar situation in my class. Because we use an online curriculum at our school, I was able to allow my student to use an iPad with headphones to access the curriculum website to do the student interactives. This allowed my student to participate in concepts being taught, but to do so in a way that allowed him to block out any distracting or uncomfortable noise.Zadda Bazzy wrote:
Several years ago I taught a student with autism. He was easily overstimulated by the sounds in the elementary music classroom and our many movement activities. It was not unusual for him to make loud noises and hide under the furniture when he could not handle the stimuli. His teacher gave him noise cancelling headphones for music class. In addition, I gave him a special place at the far corner of the music class where he could go if he needed to get away from the noise or movement. In addition, I featured this student during singing activities. He loved to sing -- especially into a microphone -- and he matched pitch very well. The class and I celebrated his strengths in music class, as well as allowed him to modify his participation in certain activities that overstimulated him. |
2/3/2020
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
Susan Collins
|
I have a student who is ADHD and ODD. His need to be in control and his lack of focus are always a challenge. As with any ODD child, clear expectations and routines have been helpful, as well as giving him choices within boundaries, which allow me to encourage his participation while still letting him feel in control. For musical assessments, I tell him that if he listens and cooperates, I will allow him to perform last so that all eyes will be on him. He likes this. I also allow him to be my special helper if he completes his assignments. I also allow him to do quizzes on the iPad as this promotes focus for him. |
2/3/2020
Topic:
Tools and Strategies
Susan Collins
|
I have a student who is autistic. He has difficulty with focus, being part of a group and with certain sounds. I often use an iPad to help him. We use an online Music curriculum at our school. I can access the curriculum on the iPad and bring up an interactive activity which teaches the concepts we are studying. I give him headphones so that he is not distracted and so that external sounds do not bother him. I allow him to work in any area of the room that he finds comfortable. He really likes this and it has improved his knowledge and his attitude about Music. |
2/3/2020
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
Susan Collins
|
I have a student who is slightly autistic and completely nonverbal. I often give oral assessments in my classroom. With this student, I allow him to write or point to images representing the answers. He also needs more time to complete his assessments. In addition, he is easily distracted by sounds in the room, so I place him in a quiet area where he can work or where I can work with him. |